Looking back at this interview
We really enjoyed having the opportunity to help spread the word about the amazing Zebra IV cd. We were also happy that Randy and his team were supportive of our idea of selling autographed editions of the Zebra IV cd. If you haven’t checked out Zebra, do yourself a favor and track down the music. Great stuff. Thank you for checking out our October 2003 interview with Randy.
Randy Jackson (Oct 2003)
Well the wait is truly over ! The disc is incredible, It’s selling strong How does it feel to finally have it finished?
I’m glad that it is done but I am VERY glad about the way it came out.
Many of the songs on the cd have been pulled from several years of writing/performing. How were you able to pick the songs that made the cd?
We have been playing some of the songs live for several years and they were going over very well live. I wrote other songs that I played for Felix and Guy and we chose the rest from that batch which includes “Why”, “Waiting To Die”, “A World That Is Learning”, “Who Am I’, and “So I Dance”.”My Life Has Changed” and “Free” were written before any of the material on the 1st album and have been requested by our audience to be on a CD for years now!
Zebra recently did a “Sirius Sessions” for Sirius Radio. Can you tell us a little about that performance?
Overall it went well but I got very concerned when our crew had a very hard time getting into the building because of security. We were rushing to get set up in time and we barely made it.Robin Lane hosted the interview part of the show and it was great that she was there. She made us feel real comfortable despite the problems!
Let’s step back a few years regarding one of your projects while Zebra was on hiatus, “China Rain”. How did this project come about?
I had been shopping a couple of songs I had done with Mark Hitt from “Rat Race Choir” and I got a call from Jason Flom who was calling me from a flight he was taking to L.A. with Doug Morris. Doug had asked Jason how I was doing and Jason told him I was looking for a deal. Doug told him to call me and tell me I had a deal with them. I don’t think Doug even heard the demo.
At first it was going to be a” Randy Jackson” solo record but as the project progressed, Jason thought we should give it a “Band” name so we came up with “China Rain”. The grunge movement became huge before China Rain came out and Doug decided to shelve “China Rain”. I had worked for over 2 years making the CD and it took me about 2 weeks on my couch in front of the boob-tube before I could even think about my next move. Eventually the CD came out as “Randy Jackson’s China Rain” through a couple of small labels in Europe and the States. I was already into other projects by that point but I owe a debt of gratitude to Jason Flom for eventually getting the rights to the masters which allowed it to be released!
Zebra IV also features the track “Light of My Love” which you originally released on the China Rain cd. You’ve stated that the Zebra IV version is the real version. The China Rain version credits Rachel and Dave from Skid Row as co-writers. What kept the track from being recorded the way you envisioned it initially? Did the China Rain album end up sounding true to your initial plan?
Rachel, Dave and I wrote a couple of songs for China Rain. One of them was a killer ballad that we later realized sounded too much like another song. I played “Light of My Love” for them during the writing sessions and they came up with the background part “LIGHT-OF-MY-LOVE” and “Hey” during the chorus.It sounded good to me at the time so I used it. I also recorded the song in a lower key for China Rain. After hearing the original demos again a couple of years later I felt that the song had lost some of it’s edge with the changes so we did it again for the new Zebra CD and I think it made a big difference.
The song “Psychedelic Sex Reaction” appeared on the China Rain album as well as the Babylon A.D. cd
“Nothing Sacred”. In fact the Babylon version even lists singer Derek as a co-writer. How did you wind up hooking up with Babylon A.D. ?
I didn’t work with Derek. Derek just wanted part of the publishing and Jack Ponti gave him a writing credit. I think Derek changed a couple of words from the original China Rain version. Jack and I wrote the song. (It’s one of my favorites on the CD)
Well now that we’ve jumped back out of the time machine ! What are the tour plans to support Zebra IV ?
I will be going out with “Rock For Christmas” from October 30th to December 6th which is a 25 city U.S. tour for a children’s charity. I’ll be doing an acoustic set at each show and spread the word about the new Zebra CD while we raise money!
If you can pick 5 songs spanning your entire career
to label as “The Essential Randy Jackson” what songs would you pick ?
Who’s Behind The Door
Your Mind’s Open
Lullaby
Waiting To Die
Why
What was your “Spinal Tap” moment?
We were playing in Denver in the arena. Our song “Lullaby” from the 2nd Zebra Album was the #1 song in Denver at the time. We started the song and the crowd went crazy. About 30 seconds into the song the power for the whole building went off and then back on. The keyboards (Felix and I both play keys on that song) lost their programs and we went into Spinal Tap hell for the rest of the song.We got some “polite applause” at the end of the song. It was way
beyond horrible!
You have only 5 albums you can listen to for the rest of your life. What are they? no greatest hits,live albums, or box sets
1) Led Zeppelin IV
2) Abbey Road (Especially Side 2)
3) Every Good Boy Deserves Favor
4) Close to The Edge
5) Dark Side Of The Moon
Dream Band. You get to put together the “Randy Jackson Dream Band”. Who is in it?
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr
Randy,
What else can we say? You guys have put out one hell of
a cd. Thanks for signing them for us too! You are another Warrior keeping the spirit alive. Keep Defending The Faith !!
Artist Update 2019.
Zebra still plays live. Randy has also plays numerous solo dates including symphony shows and acoustic shows. For the latest infor on Zebra check out the websitethedoor.com
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